KANCHANPUR: The Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) has failed to pay farmers and cooperatives in Kanchanpur for milk supplied over the past several months, leaving local producers in financial distress.
According to local cooperatives, the DDC owes more than Rs 60 million to seven milk cooperatives and 34 dairy farms in the district. The dues have accumulated since November 2024, and the delay has disrupted the payment cycle for dairy farmers.
Krishna Dutta Paneru, chairperson of the Sathi Agriculture Cooperative, said his group alone is yet to receive Rs 6 million from DDC. “Because DDC hasn’t paid us since Mangsir, we’ve been unable to pay our farmers on time,” he said. The cooperative supplies around 5,000 liters of milk to DDC every month.
Sathi Cooperative collects milk from up to 1,500 farmers daily, Paneru added. “Roughly 3,000 liters are consumed locally each month, while the rest is sent to DDC,” he said. “When payments are delayed, we struggle to meet our obligations to the farmers.”
Similarly, Khageshwar Pandey, chairperson of the Small Farmers’ Cooperative, said his organization is owed Rs 2.95 million by DDC. “We must pay farmers every month, but due to DDC’s delay, we’ve been forced to use our savings to manage payments,” he said.
Niranjan Bhattarai, chief of the DDC’s Dhangadhi Milk Distribution Project, confirmed the corporation still owes Rs 60 million to cooperatives and dairy farms in Kanchanpur. He attributed the delay to a seasonal surge in milk supply between mid-October and mid-March.
“We have already cleared Rs 33.7 million last month,” he said, assuring that the remaining dues would be settled soon. According to him, DDC collects between 2,500 to 4,000 liters of milk daily from Kanchanpur.
The delayed payments have sparked growing concern among farmers and cooperative leaders, who say prolonged financial uncertainty could affect milk production and the rural economy.
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